The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig chats with Trey Elling about ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. The movie, written and directed by Fremon Craig, is an adaptation of the 1970 Judy Blume book of the same title that has resonated with generations of girls maneuvering early adolescence. Topics include: What Kelly loved about telling this story (1:26) Why Abby Ryder Fortson was perfect as Margaret (4:01) A favorite moment from Kelly fostering an improv environment (5:29) Benny Safdie as Margaret’s dad (6:56) Kelly answers a fun, three-question prompt from the film (9:02) The key to a good story (10:57) What she hopes people take away from the film (11:50)

Fitness expert, bestselling author, podcaster, and business coach James Smith chats with Trey Elling about HOW TO BE CONFIDENT and embarking on a North American speaking tour for the very first time. Topics include: Connections in Austin, TX (1:09) James’ upcoming North America tour (3:32) The inspiration behind HOW TO BE CONFIDENT (8:04) The importance of failure (10:56) One of James’ favorite quotes (16:58) Nature vs nurture (19:16) The value of being bored (22:53) Feelings and resilience (25:11) Seeking out discomfort (30:55)

EVIL DEAD RISE stars Lily Sullivan & Alyssa Sutherland, writer & director Lee Cronin, and the EVIL DEAD O.G Bruce Campbell chat with Trey Elling, ahead of the film's premiere at SXSW 2023, about the most discomfort they experienced making the latest movie for the supernatural horror franchise. Lily Sullivan (1:11) Alyssa Sutherland (1:42) Lee Cronin (2:23) Bruce Campbell (3:36)

Numerous cast & crew from the new Netflix series BEEF chat with Trey Elling on the red carpet, ahead of its premiere at SXSW 2023. Directors Hikari & Jake Schreier, creator & showrunner Lee Sung-jin, and stars Ali Wong & Steven Yeun each answer the following questions: What do you love about the story being told in BEEF? (0:47) What's your biggest driving pet peeve? (3:17) What's your worst driving habit? (5:31)

Standup comedian, tv personality, and actor Howie Mandel chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his April 19th show at Moontower Just For Laughs comedy festival in Austin. Topics include: Performing in Austin (0:51) Serving as a punchline at the start of covid (1:37) The value of discomfort (2:28) Getting passed by Mitzi Shore at the Comedy Store (4:03) His swift ascent in entertainment (7:57) Austin’s rise as a standup mecca (10:44) Howie’s memories of Bill Hicks (11:56) Why standup seems so healthy in 2023 (13:19) Howie taking chances on stage, in contrast to his network persona (15:51) People not washing their hands after using the restroom (17:36) Howie’s limits with Stanley Cup (19:07) A fantastic Stanley Cup joke (20:39) The joy of getting to host the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with hist daughter (21:13)

Standup comedian, podcaster, and actor Bryan Callen chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his participation in Minds Fest at Vulcan Gas Company on Saturday, April 15th. Topics include: An explanation of Minds Fest (1:36) The importance of having hard conversations (3:04) A concerning potential relevance of certain conspiracies (7:03) Questioning the nefariousness of covid policies (8:36) Stylebender’s knockout win in the UFC over the weekend (12:19) The last time Bryan got knocked out (14:39) Bryan’s initial dream in entertainment (16:26) The value of pursuing dreams (19:41) Checking out Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership (23:20)

Actors Jeremy Piven and Cary Elwes chat with Trey Elling about SWEETWATER. The film tells the story of Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, aka the Jackie Robinson of the NBA, and is out in theaters on April 14th. Jeremy Piven (1:31) Cary Elwes (10:36)

Actor, writer, and storyteller Paterson Joseph chats with Trey Elling about THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO: A NOVEL. Sancho is an important figure in British history, who on top of being an 18th century abolitionist, writer, and composer, he was also the first British African to vote in Great Britain. Topics include: A brief introduction of Charles Ignatius Sancho (0:46) What Paterson most connects with about Sancho’s story (4:34) How Sancho’s actual writings influenced Paterson’s novelization of his life (8:54) Writing of Sancho dealing death through his own grief experiences (13:52) How much Paterson enjoyed writing his first book and what he enjoyed about the process (18:37) The key to a good story (23:14) Paterson’s performance on HBO’s The Leftovers (27:45) The cringeworthy joys of Peep Show (34:33)

Emmy-winning filmmaker Pat Kondelis chats with Trey Elling about CATCHING LIGHTNING. The new four-part documentary series on Showtime, directed by Kondelis, details the life of "Lightning" Lee Murray, a British MMA fighter with superstar potential, whose career and freedom came to an end abrupt after he was discovered to have pulled off the largest cash heist in British history. Topics include: Why he wanted to tell this story (1:24) Who Lee Murray is (2:42) What it took to get Lee’s wife on the record for the first time (4:28) The unique circumstances of Lee getting caught and punished (6:38) Whether he tried to speak with Lee in Moroccan prison (7:19) The one question he would ask Lee (8:37) The legendary story involving Lee & Tito Ortiz in a London street brawl (10:57) How he’s so good at re-create stories being told (12:59) How would’ve won a fight in 2004 between Tito Ortiz and Lee Murray (14:32) The most surprising element of Lee Murray’s story (16:12) Why he’s serving his punishment in Morocco and not England (18:07) Whether this series could help get his sentence overturned (19:12) The nature vs nurture element of Lee’s mistakes (22:01)

The main cast of AIR, chats with Trey Elling, ahead of its world premiere at  @SXSW . The film tells the story of how Nike and a young Michael Jordan came together for a shoe deal, whose long term effects completely altered the social fabric of basketball, shoe culture, and life. Interview subjects include: Writer Alex Convery (2:10) Chris Messina (6:06) Chris Tucker (8:40) Jason Bateman (12:07) Viola Davis & Julius Tennon (14:55) Matt Damon (17:56) Ben Affleck (22:37)